On the evening of June 2nd, in Yangyong Village, Dalang Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, a toll booth set up in the village sparked a protest among a large number of people, ultimately leading to the removal of the toll gate.
Around 6 pm on June 2nd, hundreds of migrant workers living in the village gathered at the toll booth at the village entrance, chanting slogans like “Remove the barrier” demanding the immediate cancellation of toll fees and the dismantling of the toll booth. The protest reportedly lasted until around 10 pm, with all toll facilities eventually being taken down.
A former resident of the village, Mr. Yang (alias) from Henan Province, revealed to reporters that toll collection had been in place since October 1st last year. Outsiders parking in the village were charged 3 yuan per hour or 240 yuan per month. Yang mentioned that at the time, the villagers did not seem to react to the toll charges.
Before October, Yang returned to his hometown in Henan, expressing how difficult it had become to make money in Dongguan. Many factories had closed down, laid off workers, and reduced salaries, making business operations challenging. As a result, half of the external migrant workers in Yangyong Village had also left, leading to a decrease in the village population.
Furthermore, Yang disclosed that many villages in Dongguan were implementing toll collection, as a company had specialized in managing this toll project. He had heard that this company had strong connections within the government, with the village committee receiving a kickback. It was normal for the village chief to receive tens of thousands of yuan per year, leaving the villagers struggling financially.
One villager, Mr. Li, expressed that various industries were facing hardships this year, as everyone was struggling to make ends meet. The addition of village toll fees only added to the financial burden, prompting the residents to voice their concerns through protests.
The protests against village toll collection in Guangdong are not a new occurrence.
On the evening of March 9th this year, a village toll collection in Shangdi Village, Liaobu Town, Dongguan, led to discontent among the villagers. Many residents gathered at the toll station located at a junction, breaking the barriers and throwing them by the roadside. One villager expressed, “It’s already difficult for us out-of-towners to survive in this environment with expenses like rent and utilities. Now, with the village toll collection added on, it’s like adding insult to injury. Hence, the strong protest last night. Are they really going to make it impossible for us out-of-towners to live here?”
On December 1, 2024, in Datun Village, Xintang Town, Zengcheng District, Guangzhou, hundreds of tenants expressed their dissatisfaction with the establishment of parking toll booths at various intersections by dismantling all 28 booths. The local government was compelled to promise to halt toll collection to quell the situation.
According to online sources, Dongguan Municipal Transportation Bureau had temporarily suspended village toll collection in 2021. However, in February 2022, they issued the “Dongguan City Village (Community) Vehicle Access Standard Management Guidelines,” permitting village toll collection. By January 2024, multiple towns and streets in Dongguan, including Dongcheng, Nancheng, and Liaobu, had reinitiated village toll collection for external vehicles and migrant populations. The fee structure included a free first half-hour, 3 yuan per hour thereafter, with a maximum daily charge of 30 yuan. Monthly passes were available at 200 yuan per month.
The people questioned the authorities’ toll collection practices, suspecting local financial shortages leading to exploitative measures on the residents. Villagers emphasized that if the government continued to neglect the people’s hardships and engage in arbitrary toll collection, it could ignite social unrest. They believed that a small spark could ignite a larger fire.